Interns Reflect on Their Summer at REES

A’jah Reese – Architecture Intern

A’jah started her internship with an interest in healthcare architecture, and her time at REES turned that interest into a clear career goal. Through project work, site visits and mentorship from experienced designers, she saw firsthand the impact healthcare spaces can have on the people who use them. 

One highlight of the summer was touring a clinic renovation project. The experience taught her how much thought and precision healthcare design needs. At the same time, she saw how teams work together under real deadlines and challenges. “It was interesting to see how intense things can get but also understand how teams communicate and collaborate with each other,” A’jah said. 

Mark Henderson, a healthcare project manager, played a big role in shaping A’jah summer experience, regularly offering advice on navigating the early days of a career. Inspired by the experience, A’jah plans to pursue healthcare architecture and has enrolled in healthcare-focused coursework as she begins her master’s this fall. 

Jennifer Rojas – Interior Design Intern

Jennifer’s internship gave her a front-row seat to how architecture and interior design come together to shape a project, start to finish. Materiality, the role materials play in a project, was something that she enjoyed observing throughout her summer. She also gained a deeper understanding of the project life cycle. “It was exciting to see how projects move forward through the process and come together.” 

REES’ Texas Interiors team never hesitated to answer Jennifer’s questions or walk her through their thinking. “Everyone was very welcoming and helpful,” she said. “I was able to ask a lot of questions and learn more about everything.” 

Her internship at REES reinforced her passion for design and showed her the value of collaboration and professional growth. 

Philip Wolff – Apprentice

One of Philip’s biggest takeaways was the culture, especially in seeing how much REES projects rely on collaboration. “REES has a great culture, and it’s an awesome place to work,” he said. “I’ve enjoyed being in the office, meeting everyone and working together.” 

He also walked away with a new appreciation for how much thought goes into design decisions—even the details most people would never think to consider.  

Dana Templeton and Stephen Lawson made a big impression on Philip, always willing to share what they knew and keeping things fun along the way. “This internship really puts into perspective how to use my skills from school,” he said. “In school, you learn the technical things, not really how an architecture firm works.” 

Cade Schering – Architecture Intern

Cade spent his summer following one project from start to finish, and it gave him a much clearer picture of the process. “I got to understand the roots of it and know how a project is put together fully,” he said. Much of that came from his work on a project for Sisu Youth Services, where he approached details built with real users in mind. 

Architects Brad Jackson and Benjamin Shullaw worked closely with Cade. Brad sharpened his technical know-how, while Benjamin showed him how to balance form and function. “I learned a lot,” Cade said. “I got a deeper understanding of the whys and hows to what we draw.” 

Brianne Abbott – Interior Design Intern

No two days looked the same for Brianne, and that was her favorite part. Renderings one day, construction drawings the next. “There was no telling what I was going to be doing each day,” she said. “I got to see so many different things rather than being honed in on one specific project.” 

She grew more proficient in Bluebeam over the summer and got hands-on experience with how project documentation comes together for clients. Interior designers Ashton Sullivan and Kate Howell kept her included all summer and answered every question she had. “It was easy to wake up in the morning because I knew I had something exciting to work on,” she said. 

Laura Pastor – Architecture Intern

Laura worked on a variety of projects this summer, and the variety is what she loved most. Every week brought something new, whether it was collaborating across departments or watching a project move through a new stage. “Every week, I was working on something different, and it didn’t feel mundane,” she said. “It helped me really learn the design process, and I saw more of what actually happens inside the building.” 

She was surprised by how much she learned about construction details, since they have rarely come up in school. Project work and lunch-and-learns also showed her how those small details shape a building’s performance.  

Chris Muder, architecture group leader in Dallas, walked Laura through those details all summer. He consistently took the time to explain details, answer questions and share his knowledge. Chris helped bridge the gap between school and practice, which sparked Laura’s interest in senior living design.  

Evan Hahne – Apprentice

Evan spent the summer in the midst of real project work, including design tool training, site visits and watching ideas come to life. His biggest takeaways came from vendor presentations and lunch-and-learns, broadening how he thinks about the materials that go into a building.  

Michael Cromaz, Stephen Lawson and Dana Templeton shaped a lot of his summer. Dana’s hands-on approach on a healthcare site visit stood out the most. “She would pull us to the side and explain little details along the way, so we’d be able to understand everything,” he said.

His best moment of the summer came on a healthcare project, where a lounge space concept he designed made it into the final build. He said, “I was given the creative freedom to design some millwork in this loungeroom. They really liked it, and it’s going to be in the space.”